Rikishi doesn’t consider Charlotte Flair one of the all-time greats in women’s wrestling.
On a recent episode of his “Off the Top” podcast, Rikishi was asked about the possibility of his daughter-in-law Naomi facing Charlotte Flair in a future program. The conversation then shifted to Flair’s legacy, and when asked if he believed she was among the greatest women’s wrestlers of all time, Rikishi didn’t hold back. He said,
“No, I wouldn’t. There’s so many other wrestlers before her time. If they were still young and had the same opportunities, they could’ve kept up with her. They just weren’t pushed like her. But they were every bit as talented. You don’t hear too much about women legends like that anymore. If someone like Jazz were in her prime today, she’d be a top contender with the current roster.”
He also took a moment to praise current NXT standout Nikkita Lyons and emphasized the importance of understanding wrestling psychology over flashy moves. He stated,
“I’m a big fan of Nikkita Lyons. Hopefully these girls today get a chance to sit in the same locker room as some of the legends I mentioned. You can learn so much from them. It’s not just about how your moves look — it’s about making every moment mean something. Emotion, storytelling, facials — those are what truly connect.”
Notably, Jazz recently served as a guest coach at the WWE Performance Center.
Cody Rhodes is a big admirer of Abyss’ work behind the scenes in WWE, calling him one of the best producers in the company.
On the latest edition of his “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” podcast with Damian Priest, Rhodes praised Chris Park — the former TNA star known as Abyss — for producing their match at WWE Crown Jewel 2023 and highlighted his contributions to the bout’s success.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On Chris “Abyss” Park’s producing work: “I wanna shout out one of the best producers in all of WWE, that being Chris. Abyss is Chris Park. I just call him Abyss. Just a wonderful producer. Incredibly nervous all the time, but wants everything to be great. He was our producer for our match in Saudi.”
On a member of WWE management telling them to end the match early if the crowd wasn’t into it: “For whatever reason, sometimes the crowds are amazing and hot and vocal and loud. This crowd was a little bit more subdued. Right before we went out, we were second to last I believe. Judgment Day, Cody Rhodes, this had been a regular TV story, someone in management stood up and said, ‘Hey, guys, if they’re not there for you, just go home. Take it home.’ I remember thinking ‘Hmm, don’t love that.’”
On the two of them being able to turn the crowd around in the match: “Good moment, and I felt good for Abyss.”
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